The Five Scarves - Dragonkin Return Part 4
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 1 of 3, Part 4 of 5) Three dojos down, and the Scarves have seen limited success; while the Grand Masters visited so far claim not to know of the threat to the Elemental Crystals, the Scarves are not convinced. Will the remaining two dojos confirm their suspicions?
1. Chapter 1

Kakusareta Kyuden. Located on Tenshijima, a dozen miles from the coast of the southern reaches of the Midorioka region, the palace is hidden amongst dense woodland. Very few know of its existence; currently, only two reside within its walls.

Serpentine is up with the sun, preparing his report to the captain; with three of the five dojo having now been visited by the Five Scarves, the captain's plan is proceeding well. However, the viper isn't happy about it. In his view, the best solution would have been to have the approachable Hideyoshi Takenaka exploit that quality to capture and imprison all five of the enemy; they could then be killed and their bodies disposed of in the lava flows, or transported to the Kyuden for the captain to deal with personally.

His report prepared, Serpentine opens communications with the captain.

"I hope you're bringing me good news," the captain opines before Serpentine can speak.

"In a manner, yes sir," Serpentine replies.

"'In a manner'… OK, let's have it."

"Mokuzai, Kinzoku, and Kasai have all been visited now, sir; Ryoichi and Tsubaki report that they were apprehended by the Scarves, and left bound for their subordinates to discover-"

"Don't care about the details. What about Kasai?"

"Hideyoshi welcomed them openly, sir."

"An unusual tactic."

"But effective; the Scarves left Kasai convinced the dojos are not working directly for me."

"For me," the captain corrects sternly.

"I'm the one handling them!" Serpentine protests.

"You're merely a proxy for my will. Or have you forgotten who gave you your new arms? Ones with built-in explosives that I can trigger remotely? Explosives that can shred your body so thoroughly there'll be nothing left to bury?"

Serpentine doesn't respond.

"Where are they heading now?" the captain asks a few moments later.

"Their most likely next target is Mizutani," Serpentine answers.

"Has Chika been briefed?"

"Not on last night's events, sir."

"Then why are you wasting time reporting to me? And brief Kaede too, just in case."


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours later, about mid-morning, the Five Scarves are preparing to travel to Mizutani from their campsite at the base of the volcano, on the edge of the Midorioka, on the south bank of the river separating it from the Subarashimori. The mood in camp should be good; however, a strange pall of doubt and concern hangs over the group.

"We're all thinking it, so I'm just going to say it," Danny announces suddenly. "Serpentine knows we're here."

"I was actually thinking about all the cartoons I'm missing," Maria sighs.

"They'll be repeated," Danny assures.

"I was right about him using a fake name," Xander interjects.

"I think it's safe to assume the Grand Masters _are_ working for him, despite what Hideyoshi claimed," Rob adds.

"How do you work that out?" Hanna asks.

"Simple," Rob explains. "If the dojos weren't being united, then the Grand Masters wouldn't be exchanging information on us."

"Because they'd be too busy fighting," Hanna adds.

"But that doesn't explain how Serpentine knows about the Crystals," Danny reminds.

"Does it matter?" Hanna interjects. "All we need to do is track him down and either haul him to Shang Tu, or…"

"We'll capture him alive," Rob assures. "The Magister will want to talk to him, no doubt. King Dail too, I imagine."

"Not Zao?" Maria asks.

"Zao's a buffoon," Rob explains. "He'll be too busy feeding his ego."

"He's not stupid though," Hanna adds. "If he thinks it'll help his re-election, he'll parade Serpentine through the streets of Shang Mu, and have the citizens pelt rotten fruit at him."

"Icky!" Maria pulls a comical expression of disgust; its effect is diminished by her black scarf mask.

Danny checks the time. "We need to get a move on."

"Why?" Hanna asks. "We've got plenty of time, and it's a shorter journey."

"We've done a midnight raid three times now," Danny reminds. "Mizu will be expecting it; I think we should surprise them."

"How?" Rob asks.

"We spring our own trap on the Grand Master," Danny explains. "According to the information from Helms, there's a cliff overlooking the city. We may be able to use the wingsuits to infiltrate; if so, we can hide and catch the Grand Master unawares."

"You mean, I get to _fly?_ " Maria gasps.

"Well, glide, but yeah, if we can," Danny assures.

Maria's high-pitched squeal of excitement causes both canids to wince.

"Please don't do that," Hanna and Xander ask in unison.

"Sorry!" Maria blushes. "I'm just so _excited!_ "

* * *

With the ATVs and trikes loaded up, the Five Scarves follow the river towards Mizutani.


	3. Chapter 3

Mid-afternoon, and the Five Scarves arrive at their destination. From the valley wall, they can see the entirety of Mizutani laid out below them, spanning the river; the dojo is conveniently located on the southern bank, just about within wingsuit reach of the cliff the Scarves stand atop.

"Heavy cloud cover; that should help us fly undetected," Danny observes while Hanna and Rob check everyone's wingsuits are fitted correctly.

"Remember to keep your arms and legs spread as much as possible," Rob reminds as he finishes the last checks. "And try not to bank too hard; if you do, you risk stalling the suit."

"That would be bad, right?" Xander checks.

"Stall the suit, drop like a stone," Rob confirms.

"I'm scared," Maria admits; her voice is shaking.

"You'll be fine when we're in the air," Hanna assures.

"OK, everyone ready?" Rob asks; after a chorus of affirmatives, three of which are nervous, Rob signals 'go'.

* * *

Maria is the first to land on the roof of the dojo; her landing is messy, but she stays on her feet. "That… was… _amazing!_ " she breathes; her mask hides the widest smile she's ever worn, and she shakes not from fear, but exhilaration.

Danny is next to arrive; his landing is a little better, but still not great. "I'd have preferred to practise first, but that was easier than I thought!" he grins.

Hanna and Rob arrive together. Their greater wingsuit experience allows them to execute a synchronised landing; they hit the roof at the same time, then strike a pose.

"Show-offs!" Maria and Danny tease in synchrony.

Xander is last to arrive. His landing is the worst; he stumbles and falls, rolling a few feet. "Ow," he murmurs deadpan once stationary.

"You OK big guy?" Danny asks. Maria is giggling almost uncontrollably; Hanna and Rob can't hide their amusement either.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Xander confirms, standing up.

"Good." Danny checks the time. "OK, we've still got a few hours till nightfall; we should find somewhere to hide."

* * *

An hour before midnight, the Grand Master of the Mizu-dojo retires to her inner sanctum; once the door is secure, the indigo otter activates a two-way radio. "Kawauso to Mamushi, come in Mamushi."

"Mamushi here; I assume you're prepared?" Serpentine responds.

"Of course," the otter confirms. "There's no way they'll surprise me."

"Good. Mamushi out." A click as the radio connection is terminated.

"Surprise!" Hanna announces, emerging from her hiding place. The otter spins, reaching for her sansetsukon; she is prevented from drawing it by Xander's iron grip.

"You're early," the otter sighs.

"We know." Hanna pulls up a sturdy wooden chair. "Metal, Earth, let's make her comfortable."


	4. Chapter 4

"Your boys certainly know what they're doing," the otter commends. She's thoroughly bound to the chair by sports tape; her shins are secured to the front legs, her forearms to the armrests, and her torso to the back. "Certainly, I'm not going anywhere," she adds, lightly testing her bonds. "It's a tad tight around the chest though. Not really an issue; I can breathe easily, just not deeply. That aside, this actually feels surprisingly pleasant."

Hanna pulls up a second chair; sitting on it backwards, she leans on the back and settles in front of the otter. "Glad you're enjoying it."

"I take it you'll gag me once our conversation is done," the otter guesses.

"Doesn't make sense to gag you before, does it?" Hanna chuckles.

"True," the otter smiles in return. "The name's Chika Ueno."

"I go by 'Fire'," Hanna replies.

"I guessed that," Chika smiles.

"You're being remarkably calm," Hanna commends.

Chika tries in vain to shrug. "As soon as your heavy grabbed me, I knew there was no escape; no sense getting worked up over it. After all, why hurt myself? I knew he wouldn't hurt me; given his obvious strength, he's surprisingly gentle."

"I try my best," Xander responds, bowing slightly.

"And so polite too," Chika flirts with Xander; Xander blushes slightly.

Hanna snaps her fingers in Chika's face. "Stay focussed," she insists, her smile disguising her mildly menacing tone.

"Worth a try," Chika sighs. "He is cute though, that much is true. So, what do you want to know?"

"We're looking for Mamushi," Hanna explains.

"You don't want to know whether I'm after the Elemental Crystals? Or whether I'm working for Mamushi or not?" Chika asks, a little confused.

"We know you're after the Crystals, and we heard you report in to Mamushi. Which of course means you're working for him."

"Ah yes, should have guessed you'd heard that. Unfortunately, I don't know where he is; he's always kept his location secret from me."

"A shame," Hanna sighs. "Oh well, guess we'll have to take matters into our own hands. Wood, gag her. Metal, Earth, see if you can trace the signals. Water, when Wood has finished, find somewhere to put our captive."

"Somewhere where I can't fall over please, cutie," Chika smiles at Xander, who blushes once more; once Maria has finished gagging her, Xander slides the otter to one side, laying her gently on her back. "Thank you sweetie," she winks; the words are heavily muffled by the gag.

"Want a cushion?" Xander asks; Chika nods. Xander looks around and spots a suitable cushion on the sofa; he retrieves it and places it under Chika's head. "Better?" Xander asks. Chika nods, smiling warmly; she closes her eyes, lets out a soft sigh, and begins to snooze.

Hanna watches the whole exchange; once Chika is snoozing, Hanna shakes her head in amusement, then turns her attention to Rob and Danny. "How's the signal tracing going?" she asks.

"We're getting something," Rob reports. "It's not much, but if we can do the same from Tsuchidokutsu, we should be able to get within a few square miles."

"Nice work," Hanna compliments. "Now, let's get out of here."


	5. Chapter 5

Midway through the following morning, the Five Scarves sit on the edge of the cliff overlooking Mizutani.

"Why have none of the dojos sent anyone to look for us?" Xander asks out of the blue.

"Good question," Danny muses. "Of course, it's possible they have done, and they didn't find us; we've always set up camp somewhere easy to get to, yet not obvious."

"There is another explanation, at least for Mizu-dojo," Hanna offers.

"What's that then?" Danny asks; he can't quite hide a tell-tale smirk.

"You mean no-one else noticed?" Hanna chuckles.

"No-one else noticed what?" Rob asks, faking ignorance.

"Why, the _outrageous_ flirting between Chika and Xander!" Hanna laughs.

"Chika and Xander, sitting in a tree!" Maria sings.

"Come off it guys!" Xander chuckles. "Do you really think she liked me?" he asks a moment later.

"She was playing you for a fool," Hanna explains. "She wanted to manipulate you to overpower the rest of us and set her free; she more or less admitted as much."

"She carried on flirting after that though," Xander reminds.

Hanna pauses a moment. "So she did," she smiles.

"You want to be careful if you're going to get involved with a career criminal," Rob advises. "They'll only get you into trouble."

"Since when have I gotten you into trouble?" Hanna demands playfully.

"Do you want the list?" Rob smiles back.

"Oh, just shush!" Hanna chuckles; the others join in.

The gentle laugher dies out; the five friends take a few moments to enjoy being the most relaxed they've been since they departed for the Gotoshi.

"We should probably get moving," Danny eventually suggests.

"Agreed," Hanna and Rob reply in unison.

"One last dojo, then Serpentine, then home," Danny summarises.

"Unless Xander wants to come back here to be with his girlfriend," Hanna smirks.

"Maybe," Xander chuckles. "But the mission comes first."


	6. Chapter 6

Tsuchidokutsu, located deep within the Hokorioka, is a very different city to the others in the Gotoshi. Whereas the others are standard urban sprawls, Tsuchidokutsu is mostly underground; the only sign on the surface that there's a city underneath is a large accessway designed for goods vehicles, and a handful of smaller accesses for private vehicles. And unfortunately for the Scarves, each entrance is guarded.

Keeping their distance, the Scarves make a wide loop, eventually approaching one of the smallest accesses from behind; the late-afternoon shadows make it easier to sneak up on the guards. Parking just out of earshot, they cover the remaining distance on foot. Hanna and Maria move forwards to take out the two guards while the boys hang back; Maria is using Xander's tonfa for this task. Taking out the guards proves trivial; Maria's victim is laid out in under a second, with Hanna's following several seconds later. With the guards unconscious and bound with sports tape, the girls re-join the boys; Maria returns the tonfa to Xander.

Inside the city, the Scarves find it remarkably easy to blend in; the city's reliance on artificial lighting means the whole place is bathed in a half-light. Before long, they find the dojo; unsurprisingly, it's built deep into the side of the cave wall, greatly reducing its attack surface.

"Well, that leaves only one option," Danny concludes.

"No!" Hanna and Maria chime together in disgust.

"We don't have any other choice," Danny insists.

"Sewers are icky!" Maria pouts.

"And I'd like to remain orange, thank you very much," Hanna adds.

"Guess it's just us boys then," Rob concludes. "Looks like the girls will miss out on all the fun."

"…darn it Rob!" Hanna sighs; she leads the way to the nearest sewer access.

"Icky, nasty, smelly, ick!" Maria mumbles, following.

* * *

After an excruciating trip through the sewers during which lunches were lost, the Scarves finally breach the dojo. Unable to hide their stench, they find stealth difficult; luckily, patrols are light and easily avoided. Within thirty minutes, they're at the edge of the inner sanctum; with the smell finally wearing off, they climb through the ventilation ducts to reach the Grand Master's quarters.

The Scarves get to the grille over the centre of the den below; they immediately set about removing the screws. The intention is to hide within the room as they did in Mizutani; however, the Grand Master of Tsuchi-dojo had been made aware of this intention, and had set up a trap. As the grille is lifted out the way, the trap is sprung. Two grilles slam shut, limiting the Scarves to just ten feet of ducting; the whole section then drops into the room, trapping them in the cramped confines.

"That… was dumb," Hanna winces, backed by the pained moans of her friends.

"Everyone OK?" Rob grimaces.

"Nothing's broken," Hanna replies. "Gonna be feeling this in the morning though."

"I'm still in one piece," Danny adds.

"Me too," Xander confirms.

"I'm… being… squished," Maria gasps; she is pinned under Xander.

"Sorry," Xander apologises. He does his best to lift his weight off the winded lynx; Hanna and Rob then assist in pulling Maria out from under the heavyset wolf.

"So… much… better!" Maria pants, breathing deeply; before long, she's breathing normally.

"Well, what do we do now?" Danny asks.

"Make yourselves comfortable, and await your fate!" a new voice gloats.

"You would be the Grand Master?" Danny inquires.

The amber pika sits herself at Danny and Xander's end of the duct section. "Kaede Himura," she answers. "And you must be the so-called 'Elemental Protectors'. Or, to be more accurate, my prisoners!"


	7. Chapter 7

"What to do with you five then," Kaede muses as she walks around the Scarves' improvised prison. "Mamushi would want me to ship you straight to him, but I think I could make better use of you here… " Kaede sits at the end where Hanna, Rob, and Maria lie; her eyes fix on the lynx. "Well, hello there! My, you're a cute one! What's your name?"

"M-M-M-Wood," Maria stammers, almost revealing her real name out of fear.

"Don't be afraid," Kaede coos. "In fact, you're the lucky one; you are to be my companion! Your friends will live in servitude, but you will live a life of uninterrupted pleasure!"

"P-P-Pleasure?" Maria asks; her fear is mixed with confusion and intrigue.

"The nights can be quite lonely down here," Kaede sighs. "I'd dearly love some company."

"She's playing you!" Hanna warns.

"Silence!" Kaede barks; she grabs Hanna's ankles and pulls hard, slamming her groin into one of the bars in the grille. Hanna yelps loudly in pain; she flops flat, breathing heavily through gritted teeth. "Now, where was I?" Kaede continues, her voice soft and melodious again. "Oh yes, my lynx!"

"I… " Maria begins.

"I would never do that to you," Kaede assures. She unlocks the top of the grille and opens it halfway; the gap is big enough for Maria to get out, yet small enough to keep the others in. "Leave the blades," Kaede requests. "You won't need them."

Maria slowly unclips her belt and slides the combined belt and baldric off; she then moves to the grille and climbs out, sitting on top of the ducting.

"I love the dress," Kaede comments, closing and securing the grille. Once done, Kaede climbs atop the ducting; Maria slides further along, staying just out of reach. "How about a kiss?" Kaede propositions, halting on her hands and knees, her expression innocent; she applies what appears to be standard lip balm.

"I… J-Just a little one," Maria responds; she shuffles forwards slowly, and when close enough, begins to lean in for the kiss. Maria reaches to remove her black scarf mask; just as she's about to take hold of it, she suddenly switches and grabs Kaede's ears as hard as she can, sinking her claws into the soft flesh at their bases.

"I know your type all too well," Maria hisses into Kaede's ear as the pika screams in agony; the lynx then slams the pika's head into the ducting as hard as she can. Kaede stops screaming; she starts to sway, staring into the mid-distance, heavily dazed. "That is for hurting my best friend!" Maria yells. "And this is for trying to play me!" She slams Kaede's head into the ducting a second time; Kaede loses consciousness.

* * *

Kaede awakes twenty minutes later to find herself mummified head-to-toe, with only her eyes and nose exposed; the sight of the malevolently grinning vixen causes her to panic and struggle fruitlessly.

"Welcome back," Hanna purrs menacingly. "You woke up just in time. We're ready to leave; we thought you might want to come with us. Not that you have a lot of choice in the matter."

Kaede's reply is unintelligible.

"Oh, not to worry," Hanna continues. "You'll survive. That is, assuming your fellow Jades find you in time."

Kaede attempts to respond again; the only noise is a muffled murmur.

"Yes, we _did_ find your secret escape route!" Hanna boasts; she sits up, wincing a little as she does so. "I'm going to be walking funny for a while," she sighs; she then reveals a nearly-empty roll of sports tape. "Do you think this is enough for a blindfold? Let's find out!"

* * *

By the time the Scarves and their recalcitrant captive reach the surface, night had fallen; after taking a moment to get their bearings, they relocate their ATVs and trikes, and speed away from Tsuchidokutsu with their captive securely held in Hanna's trailer.


	8. Chapter 8

Rob tests the security of his ropework; it appears to be safe. "OK big guy, let her hang!"

Xander drops Kaede; she jerks to a halt with a muffled squeak, hanging upside-down from the tree branch, swaying gently. Most of the sports tape wrapping her has been removed; all that's left is from the knee down, over her head, and binding her hands together.

"She looks like a piñata!" Maria giggles; she and Hanna are leaning against the wheels of Hanna's ATV, basking in the mid-morning sun, watching the boys work.

"I'll toast to that!" Hanna chuckles in response; she and Maria clink their vials of elixir, then down the contents.

"I hope this stuff works," Maria comments. "It tastes icky!"

"This stuff rebuilt Lilac," Hanna explains. "It'll work. I'm already feeling less sore, in fact."

"It can't work _that_ fast, surely?" Maria sighs.

"A five-minute bath was enough to heal all her burns and regrow both her hair whips."

"Yeah, right," Maria scoffs. Regardless, she pulls off her black scarf mask and checks herself in her tanto; what she sees surprises her. "The icky clown smile… it's gone… _I'm cute again!_ " Maria wastes no time in tearing the sports tape off her limbs. " _All_ my rope burns are healed!" she squeals in pleasure.

"Did you _have_ to give Maria one too?" Danny asks, joining the girls; Rob and Xander join them a second later.

"It's only one vial; we've got plenty enough left," Hanna assures.

"I wouldn't call eight 'plenty', but I guess it's enough. Are we all fighting fit once more?" Danny continues.

"Appears that way," Hanna agrees. "But I want to be sure before we move out."

Hanna stands and fetches a handful of timed flares from her trailer; she lays them out in a ring around the tree, setting the timers so they fire at fifteen minute intervals. Hanna then turns her focus to Kaede. Once within range, Hanna unleashes a ferocious side-kick into Kaede's abdomen; the mummified pika swings back-and-forth, coughing and spluttering.

"I'm still not sure; shall I try again?" Hanna asks; Kaede shakes her head furiously. "If you insist," Hanna smiles malevolently. She unleashes another ferocious kick, this time to Kaede's chest; a sensitive ear would pick up the crack of a rib. The pika struggles for few moments to regain her breath; when she does so, she unleashes an unending stream of muffled cursing as she thrashes violently, trying in vain to break free.

"Of course I'd love to play more!" Hanna replies mockingly. "Unfortunately, I must be going. Still, it was nice to hang out with you; we should do it again sometime."

Leaving Kaede to thrash and scream impotently, Hanna rejoins her friends; together, the Scarves speed away.

* * *

As night begins to fall, the Five Scarves arrive at the shore of the Hokorioka; Tenshijima is just visible on the horizon.

"That's where the signal is coming from?" Hanna asks once the vehicles are parked and turned off.

"We triangulated from both Mizutani and Tsuchidokutsu; that island is indeed where their signals appear to originate from," Danny explains.

"To be absolutely sure, we'd need a third signal to trace," Rob adds. "But for our purposes, two is accurate enough."

"The island is called Tenshijima," Danny continues. "It doesn't get any visitors, making it a perfect place to set up a secret base."

"Why doesn't it get any visitors?" Maria asks. "Is there something icky or scary on it?"

"There are local legends of course," Danny answers, "but few believe them."

"Then why no visitors?" Xander asks.

"Each of the five cities lays claim to owning the island," Danny explains. "As a result, the authorities advise their citizens not to go there, lest they trigger conflict. Of course, being citizens of the Origin Kingdoms, we don't have that problem."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Xander continues.

"Daybreak," Rob answers. "Crossing will be safer in daylight."

"Exactly," Danny agrees. "So let's set up camp, and get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, we find and capture Serpentine."


End file.
